How to Replace a Toilet Flapper

One of the most common questions we get here is "How do I stop my toilet from running all of the time?" While this may seem like a difficult problem to fix, it actually can be pretty easy if the only problem with the toilet is the flapper (which is often but not always the case). If you want to switch out your old flapper with a new one, follow these steps to complete the repair and hopefully get rid of the constantly running water.

Step 1 - Figure out what type of toilet you have so you can buy the correct flapper online. This is important as not all Kohler or American Standard flappers will work with different manufacturer toilets.

Step 2 - Take the lid off the toilet that is giving you the problems and inspect the current flapper to see if it is sitting flush in the tank. Make sure the chain is not tangled and that the flapper is resting flat. If none of these are the issue then you will want to take your new flapper and prepare it for installation.

Step 3 - Always make sure the water is off before starting to work on the toilet. You can usually do this by rotating the shut off valves under the toilet. After this is done go ahead and flush the toilet to remove the remaining water.

Step 4 - Find how the flapper is connected to the tank and remove the connection, then remove the chain from where it is connected to the toilet as well and the flapper should come completely out. Make note of how you took it out so it is easy to put back in

Step 5 - Once the old flapper is removed simply connect the new one the same way. Attach the flapper itself to the base of the tank then attach the chain to where you removed the old one.

Step 6 - Once you have it secure you can go ahead and turn back on the water so that the tank can fill up and you can see if the installation was a success. Once you flush the toilet and confirm that the flapper is keeping the new water in the tank then you can go ahead and put the lid back on as your repair is complete.